South Korea will revise the Kounuri system, formally known as the standards for indicating permission for the free use of public copyrighted works, so public works can be used more widely as data for AI training.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it announced a joint plan with the Ministry of Science and ICT on expanding the use of public copyrighted works for AI training at the fourth ministerial meeting on science and technology affairs held on Jan. 24 at the Government Complex Seoul.

Industry has said existing Kounuri conditions, including the need to cite sources for each individual work, make it difficult to be certain whether public works can be used for AI training. The culture ministry said it reorganised related systems to reflect those views.

It introduced a new Kounuri “Type 0” that allows public works to be used freely with no conditions. Type 0 permits both commercial use and modification of public works. With no obligation to cite sources, it allows smoother use of public works in AI training environments that require large-scale information processing.

It also created a new “AI type” that allows public works to be used freely for AI training purposes while maintaining existing Kounuri conditions for Types 1 to 4. Even public works that do not allow commercial use or modification can be used freely for AI training if they display the AI type together with an existing Kounuri type.

The government will also review incentives to reflect efforts to open public works in evaluations of public agencies. Citizens and organisations that face difficulties using Kounuri works for AI training can use a consultation desk run by the Korea Culture Information Service Agency.

Through amendments to the Copyright Act, it will improve the system by making Kounuri marking mandatory for public works so more public works can be opened to the AI industry and other fields. It also plans a project with the Korea Culture Information Service Agency to process public works into data that can be used immediately for AI training and then open them.

Culture Minister Hwi-young Choi (최휘영) said public works are a key resource that can lead the AI industry. He said the ministry will continue to refine related systems and provide support so public works can be actively used in new technology fields, including AI.

Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Kyung-hoon Bae (배경훈) said, under the principle of opening as much as possible data funded by taxpayers' money, the government will cooperate with relevant ministries to build an ecosystem in which data can flow and be used without bottlenecks.